Only Hope
by EilayAdnayVolieay
Summary: Rinoa's father transfers her to Balamb Garden to become a SeeD, where she crosses the path of Squall Leonhart when he is forced to help her train before the SeeD examination. But emotions spark and Rinoa is forced to deal with her own little secret. R&R!
1. Prologue

**A/N:** I really, really love Final Fantasy VIII and decided to get started on another story about the characters. It probably won't be put up for awhile yet, but I will be working on it for awhile trying to get lots of chapters ready so that I can just frequently update them at a certain time for you guys (so I have time to work on other things as well) when I already have the chapter done. It will also be like more practice in writing because although I've officially decided not to become a writer, I love writing and want to become better at it.

**NOTE:** At the beginning of every chapter, there will be what will sort of be like a diary entry, or journal, whichever you prefer to call it. That will be how you know what point of view the story is in, and the entry will have the persons name at the end of it. It's an experimental thing I'm going for, so we'll see how it works out. Also, with Rinoa being a sorceress, I made it in this story that she is excellent at casting and controlling spells, so that will be how her character is portrayed in this story.

**Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy VIII and it's characters all belong to SquareSoft/SquareEnix, not me.

**Only Hope**

_EilayAdnayVolieay_

Chapter One : Prologue

_Today General Caraway informed me that I would be attending school in Balamb. Specifically, at Balamb Garden, the training school for fighting. SeeDs are trained there, and I think he wants me to become one. I'm not so sure why all of a sudden he wants me to go to a fighting school, but I don't care. The General has never given me a reason for anything that he does, so why expect one now? General... it's been years since I called him father. By being the General of the Galbadian Army, he shows that he supports what they're doing. I don't. I'm kind of afraid to go to this new school, where everyone has had more training than me. One things for sure — I'll excel in the spell casting department. At least I'll have something going for me._

—**Rinoa Heartilly**

—

After finding her compartment in the train, Rinoa sat down at the window seat and stared off into the distance, watching the train station fade away, trees moving past in a blur. Just barely a day ago, her 'father' had informed her that she would no longer be attending school in Deling City. Instead, she would transfer to Balamb Garden. It was a surprise, to say the least. He had always disapproved of her fighting when she was younger. Why the sudden change of heart?

Lost in her own thoughts, Rinoa jumped, startled, when she heard the compartment door shut. A young girl who looked around the same age as her, smiled apologetically and sat down. She too had a weapon case with her, and Rinoa wondered if she was also going to Balamb Garden, or if she just liked to fight the odd monster.

"Sorry about that!" the girl replied energetically. She set her case down on the floor and leaned back in the seat. "I just love trains, I barely ever get to ride them. Oh! I'm Selphie," she added as an afterthought. Rinoa smiled back at her.

"Rinoa Heartilly," she offered. "Are... you going to Balamb Garden?" Rinoa asked.

"Yep! Transferring from Trabia. I... know I'll miss my friends, but you have to go to Balamb Garden to become a SeeD so I didn't have much of a choice. Is that where you're going?" Selphie asked. Rinoa nodded, and pointed at the weapon case her pinwheel was in.

"Yeah, but I've never been to one of the Garden schools before. I'm... a little scared of what it will be like," Rinoa admitted. She liked Selphie; she was energetic and cheerful, something that helped Rinoa feel more at ease. At least she'd have one friend when she got to the Garden.

"It can be a bit frightening. I mean, you could get seriously hurt or even die," Selphie added. Rinoa paled and Selphie added quickly, "but that almost never happens."Rinoa smiled faintly, but now she was more nervous than before. Obviously she had known that it was dangerous, it was a fighting school where you got to fight real untrained monsters. Even still, hearing someone else say it made it more of a reality.

For the rest of the way to Balamb, they were pretty silent. Rinoa turned and saw that Selphie had curled up in her seat and was already asleep. Sighing, she turned back to stare out the window. She could see the town of Balamb up ahead, and knew that they were getting closer. The Garden wasn't much further from the town, and suddenly Rinoa felt butterflies in her stomach. She had always gone to the same school, with the same group of friends. Now she was going to a school so different from her old one, with students far more experienced and better than she was, and in a new town where the only person she knew was the girl she had just met on the train.

The train was slowing down, almost at the train station in Balamb. Rinoa saw that Selphie was still asleep, and shook her gently.

"Selphie?" Rinoa said softly. Selphie's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up, stretching and yawning. "We're in Balamb," Rinoa told her, grabbing her pinwheel case. The train came to an abrupt stop and Rinoa and Selphie both got off the train and looked around. They were finally in Balamb, and Rinoa saw it was a small peaceful town with not too many people living there.

"Want to explore the town with me?" Selphie asked excitedly. Rinoa smiled; she did, but she was so tired and all she wanted to do was get to the Garden and get some sleep.

"Actually, I was thinking about just getting to the Garden and finding my room. I am exhausted," she added. Selphie smiled.

"That's okay, but you have to come with me next time." Selphie told her. Rinoa smiled and nodded, already headed towards the garden.

"Sure thing," she replied cheerfully. Rinoa walked through the town, not taking very much of it in. She was tired, sore, and she just wanted to fall down onto a soft comfortable bed, fall asleep and never wake up. It wasn't a long walk from the town to the garden, but Rinoa suddenly found herself wishing she had found a ride to the garden instead. _I almost wish I had stayed with Selphie, _Rinoa found herself thinking. If she had, maybe Selphie would have been smart enough to suggest they take a vehicle. Rinoa felt stupid, suddenly, for walking.

"Damn it Seifer, this is just a training session!" Rinoa heard an angry shout up ahead, and squinted her eyes. Seifer... she hadn't realized she would see him here. Then again, he did go to Balamb Garden. His parents were friends with her father, and they had known each other for quite a long time. Even still, she couldn't stand him, especially not since he had started to hit on her now that they were older. Rinoa heard the sound of swords clashing against each other, and finally saw what was going on.

Seifer and another male teenager were fighting, and very aggressively. Rinoa frowned in Seifer's direction, but her gaze drifted and lingered on his opponent. As she moved closer, she noticed his eyes staring piercingly in her direction, and she blushed. Had she intruded on something private? The teenager yelled something at Seifer, but Rinoa couldn't hear it. Suddenly, she saw Seifer running forwards with his sword, slicing through the air and cutting the teenager across the face.

"No!" Rinoa called out. She didn't know what she intended to do, but she ran forward to stop them. There was no way the Garden was that brutal that they taught the students to inflict harm on one another. Seifer grinned in Rinoa's direction, and ran off, leaving the teenager on the ground holding his head as blood dripped from his face. The ice cold glare in his eyes told her that he wasn't going to let Seifer get away with that. Rinoa ran forward to help him, reaching out, but he swatted her hand away.

"...get away from me," he said harshly, getting up on his own. Rinoa narrowed her eyes, and stood up.

"I was only trying to —" Rinoa began, but the teenager began walking away, ignoring her. She ran up to him, angry. "You don't have to be so rude!" she told him. He turned around, eyes blazing, and she suddenly regretted saying anything at all. "Forget it," she muttered angrily, walking off. She heard him walking slowly behind her, and she knew he needed medical attention, but if he was going to be rude then she wasn't about to help him. She was glad she had sent her luggage on ahead a few days earlier — carrying all of that luggage would have really been a pain. Just carrying her weapons case was hard for her in this harsh heat.

Rinoa saw the Garden getting closer, and she sighed in relief. She didn't know how much more she could take of walking in this heat. She sensed the teenager behind her still, and she sighed. He _was _pretty cute, and she might even like him, if not for that negative attitude. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but she had her fair share of guys chasing after her. She had always hated that, and felt annoyed that that was how the men viewed her. But being ignored completely was a whole new extreme, and suddenly she wasn't sure what was worse.

"Look out!" she heard a shout behind her, and she looked up to see an enormous monster in front of her. She searched through her memory for the name of it; the geezard. It was a common monster in this area, and she suddenly felt foolish for not having her weapon out. How could she have been so careless? The teenager jumped in front of her, blood still gushing from his face, and he slashed at the geezard and killed it almost instantly. He had done it so easily, Rinoa felt embarrassed for needing him to come to her defense.

"Thanks," she muttered, looking up at him. His eyes were cerulean, gazing down at her, seeming to pierce into her very soul. It sent a shiver down her spine, and she was just about to say something when he collapsed to the ground. Rinoa knelt down next to him, and saw that he was out cold. She was too small to carry him on her own, but they were close to the Garden.

"Somebody help!" she shouted, hoping one of the students near the entrance gate would hear her. She grabbed her sweater and wiped the blood off of his face as best as she could, giving herself a mental note to throw her sweater out when she had the chance. She looked up, seeing if someone was coming to help, and thankfully a Garden student ran up and fell to the ground in front of her.

"What happened?" he asked, lifting the teenager up. "I saw Seifer run into the Garden — he was supposed to be training with Squall. Were they fighting seriously?" he asked her. _Squall, _Rinoa found herself thinking. _So that's his name... _

"I... yes, they were. Seifer ran off and left... S-squall... here. I tried to help him, but..." Rinoa trailed off. She felt embarrassed at how he had treated her, and suddenly flushed with anger. He didn't even know her, he had no right to treat her that way!

"...you tried to help Squall? I'm surprised you aren't the one passed out. Well... he'd never intentionally hurt someone if he could help it, but his glare alone knocks people off their feet. I'm Zell Dincht, by the way," Zell replied. He looked at his gloved hand, which was covered in blood from Squall's face, and smiled apologetically. "Might be a good idea to put off the handshake for awhile," he told her.

"Do you want some... help?" Rinoa asked, seeing Zell beginning to struggle. He nodded and she put some of the weight on her own shoulder, carrying Squall through the Garden halls.

"Bad timing to hurt my ankle," Zell told her. "Our class was training outside and I hurt my ankle, so they made me go to the Infirmary. Squall and Seifer are in my class," Zell added. "But everyone else had left by the time I got back, except for those two. They're always at each others throats," They walked into what Rinoa assumed to be the Infirmary, and a middle aged female doctor stood up from her desk and rushed over.

"Not again," she replied under her breath, helping them get Squall onto one of the beds. "Second time this week he's been in here. Seifer?" She asked, looking at Zell. He nodded, and the doctor sighed. "When will they ever learn..." she muttered. Turning to Rinoa now, she smiled. "A face I've yet to see in the Infirmary. Either you are a very safe person, or new here," she replied warmly.

"I'm... new," Rinoa told her. "Is... he going to be okay?" Rinoa asked, glancing down at Squall. The Doctor raised her eyebrows and nodded.

"Yes, but unfortunately I have to bandage up his head and look after his wounds, so I need to kick both of you out of here for now." Rinoa nodded in understanding and walked out of the Infirmary, Zell following closely behind her.

"I'm Rinoa," She offered, suddenly realizing she hadn't told him her name. "Do you... know where the dorms are?" she asked suddenly. Zell nodded.

"I can show you," he offered. Rinoa smiled.

"That would make it a lot easier. The Garden is so enormous, I'm not used to going to a school this huge!" Rinoa told him as they walked through the halls. Zell shot her a confused look, while motioning for her to turn into another hallway.

"Most of the Garden's are. Where did you go before?" he asked her suddenly. Rinoa felt her cheeks heat up and she muttered, "...a high school," Zell seemed surprised at that.

"A high school? So this is the first time you've ever been to a Garden? Balamb or any other?" Rinoa nodded awkwardly.

"Yes, my father enrolled me into this Garden. It was... a surprise," she decided to say. Zell was nice, but she wasn't sure just how much she wanted to confide in someone she barely knew. She handed him her room key, and he showed her where it was.

"Must be scary, suddenly coming here. Not like the schools you went to, I bet, huh?" Zell asked. Rinoa smiled faintly.

"No," she admitted. "Not like the other schools at all." She thanked him and entered her room, falling down onto the bed. Just what kind of mess had she gotten herself into? Her first day here she had witnessed Seifer attacking another student, then ignored and snapped at by that same student, who later passed out and needed to go to the Infirmary. She was attacked by a monster because she had let her thoughts get the better of her, and Squall had to come to her rescue.

Squall... he had been so rude to her, when all she had wanted was to reach out and help him. Yet he had come to her side to protect her, but he could have easily been protecting himself. Maybe it was even some macho guy thing, where he had wanted to show her he could handle himself, without her help. Or maybe he just liked killing things.

All these thoughts were running through her head, and she curled up in a ball on her bed and sighed, snuggling deeper and deeper into the pillows. All of that could wait, she decided. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep, and forget about what had happened. She cleared all but one thought from her mind, and the only thought that remained in her head when she finally fell asleep, was of Squall.

**A/N:** There's the first chapter of "Only Hope" so hopefully it wasn't too bad, and I should have the next chapter up soon. R&R!


	2. Waking Up In The Infirmary

**A/N:** Well I just had the urge to upload this chapter right away lol so I did. R&R!

**Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy VIII and it's characters all belong to SquareSoft/SquareEnix, not me.

**Only Hope**

_EilayAdnayVolieay_

Chapter Two: Waking Up In The Infirmary

_Today in class we were doing another training session outside, and I got partnered up with Seifer, again. He takes everything so seriously, to new extremes. We were just supposed to be training, but the idiot was fighting as if he expected us to kill one another. Then that stupid girl came... did she expect to stop us? She didn't even have her weapon out, and she was out in the open where monsters could have easily come and attacked her. She had the nerve to try to help me; I brushed her off and left. She seemed angry, but I don't really care. She must be new if she doesn't know better than to bother me. She got attacked by a Geezard, and I had to fight it because she didn't have her weapon out. I don't know what she's doing here at the Garden; there's no way she stands a chance. I must have passed out after defeating the Geezard, though, because I woke up in the Infirmary. Dr Kadowaki told me that Zell Dincht and that girl brought me there. Whatever. If I hadn't been knocked out, I would have been able to get there on my own._

— **Squall Leonhart**

—

Squall woke up, and held his head. It hurt like hell, and his vision was blurred. It seemed as if the room was spinning around, and he suddenly wished he had stayed knocked out cold. He saw Dr Kadowaki standing above him, shining a light into his eyes. He groaned and shoved her hand away, and put his hand on his head. It felt warm, and he sighed. Stupid Seifer... why did he always have to make each fight seem as if it was a battle to the death?

"Sorry Mr. Leonhart, but you'll have to put up with the light. It's your own fault for always getting in these situations," she added, shining the light in his eyes again. She muttered something and wrote down a note on her clipboard. He attempted to roll his eyes, but every time he moved his eyes, it hurt even more. He silently vowed to get back at Seifer, and sat up in the hospital bed.

"How did I..." Squall closed his eyes as the room began to spin again. Dr. Kadowaki handed him a glass of water, and he gulped down a sip gratefully.

"Zell Dincht and Rinoa Heartilly brought you here," she told him finally, checking his heart rate. Zell Dincht... that idiot from his class that was always working out and getting himself hurt in training? _Kind of like you did... _Squall shoved that thought aside. Zell was too eager to fight, never thinking clearly and logically. Rinoa... was that the girl that had tried to stop Seifer? It had to be, she would have been right there when he passed out. _Rinoa..._ he found himself thinking, but he shoved that thought away and ignored it.

"...can I go?" he asked finally. Dr. Kadowaki shook her head.

"Sorry, but you have to wait for your Instructor to get here." She told him firmly. Squall groaned; his instructor, Quistis Trepe, was not going to be pleased that he got himself into another fight with Seifer already. Squall looked at the clock on the wall and sighed; he had already missed the first half of her class. She wouldn't be happy to be interrupted during her lessons to come get him, and he wasn't exactly looking forward to what she would have to say to him.

A few minutes later, the Infirmary door opened, and Quistis Trepe walked in. When she saw Squall, she sighed in frustration. She sat down in the chair next to his bed and stared back at him.

"An explanation is in order, Squall," she told him. He groaned and rolled his eyes; the room had finally stopped spinning, and now that he was thinking straight, he wished he had of just snuck out of the Infirmary when Dr Kadowaki was calling Quistis.

"...I was training with Seifer, what else is new?" he replied bitterly. Quistis sighed and shook her head.

"Squall, I know you can handle yourself. When he started getting aggressive, why didn't you just leave?" Quistis asked him softly. Squall got up, groaning and clutching his head again.

"I was training with _Seifer,_" he repeated, as if that was enough of an explanation. He walked out of the Infirmary, and Quistis followed behind him. She didn't ask him any more questions, and they walked in silence, heading towards her classroom on the second floor. He got into the elevator and held it open for her, before pushing the button to go up to the second floor. It was strange; she was only a year older than him, and already his Instructor. Since his unwritten vow to never show interest in anyone, he had never asked her how she had become an instructor at such an early age. It wasn't his business, and although he admitted he was curious, he really didn't care.

Walking into the classroom was brutal — every single student looked up and saw the cut on his face, some gasping and whispered conversations breaking out in the classroom. Squall narrowed his eyes and glared in Seifer's direction. Seifer nodded his head in greeting, smirking at Squall. There were two new students in his homeroom class — that girl that had seen him and Seifer training, and some other girl next to her. They were sitting in front of him and he was happy to see the seat next to him was still empty.

"Just take your seat Squall," Quistis replied, walking over to the front of her desk and leaning against it, peering through her glasses at the students in the class. "Be quiet, please," she called out. A hushed silence fell over the classroom; although she didn't always have that great of a control over her students, they usually listened to her. She was almost like one of them, although her authority made her seem older than she was. Squall walked down the aisle between the desks and saw Rinoa's eyes follow him. He glared at her and sat in the desk behind her, and he saw her suddenly sit up straighter. _Whatever._ He thought, annoyed. He saw Seifer smirking at him and had the urge to yell at him, jump up and attack him; but he refrained from doing anything. He saw Rinoa whisper to the girl next to her and they started to laugh, and he groaned. Did they have to sit right in front of him? How was he supposed to listen to the Instructor if they were sitting in front of him talking?

"The SeeD exam will take place next week," Quistis continued, pacing around the classroom. "Those of you who have not completed the field test will need to do so before the exam, and those who failed the written exam will have a chance to re-write it before the exam. Should you fail again, you will have to wait until next year to participate in the SeeD exam. Turn on your computers please," she instructed. Squall turned on the computer in front of him and sighed, watching it start up. Obviously, he had passed the written exam, but he still hadn't done the field test. Groaning, he realized he would have to do that soon if he wanted to do the SeeD exam.

The class went by painfully slow, and Squall was relieved when it was finally over. He walked towards the door with his things, but Quistis stopped him.

"Squall, I need to talk to you. Rinoa? Could you also please stay after class for a few moments, I need to talk to you as well." Squall groaned at this; he didn't want to be near anyone right now, but specifically that girl. There was something about her that just set him off, and it wasn't just because he was anti-social around people. Whatever it was, he didn't care to figure it out. He just wanted to stay away from her as much as possible and not worry about it at all.

"Squall, you still have to do your field test before you can complete your SeeD exam." Quistis told him. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Rinoa was hanging around near the door, not wanting to invade his privacy, he assumed.

"Yeah, I know," he replied dryly. Quistis turned to Rinoa and called her over.

"Yes, Instructor Trepe?" Rinoa asked.

"Your father sent ahead some papers showing your experience in fighting in the field. It says that you have an exceptional gift at spell casting and healing. Is that correct?" Quistis asked, going through the papers on her clipboard. Squall saw Rinoa nod her head awkwardly.

"Y-yes, it... it is," she replied quietly.

"I believe that the Headmaster wishes to speak to you about your possible participation in the SeeD exam." Quistis replied finally. Squall was shocked, but he refused to show it on his face. This... Rinoa... was a new student who couldn't even defend herself against an almost harmless Geezard! A monster that sure, caused damage, but was easy and simple to kill.

"But... I've never even been to Garden before—" Rinoa objected, but Quistis cut her off. This was yet another surprise for Squall — a student who had never been to Garden? Had she come from a highschool? How could the Headmaster possibly believe that she could participate in the SeeD exam?

"The Headmaster seems to have high hopes for you, Miss Caraway." Quistis replied. Caraway... that name sounded familiar. _Caraway... as in the General of the Galbadian Army? Figures. I should have known it was because of her position that she was getting a shot at the SeeD exam without any real experience. _

"It's Heartilly," Rinoa replied cooly. Quistis looked taken aback, and she smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry," she replied softly. "You were enrolled under Caraway. Perhaps you should speak to the Headmaster about that, as well. Rinoa, this is very serious. If you don't want to be a SeeD, that's entirely up to you. But at least consider it. You will be required to do the field exam anyway, and unfortunately there is little time to do it. You also haven't had very much training. Which is why I am assigning Squall to be your training partner." At this, Squall's jaw dropped. This was just _too much..._ Quistis was his instructor, and he knew that, but right now he was angry. No, cross that, he was _pissed off._

"You can't be seri—" Squall started, at the same time Rinoa said, "I can't train with him!" They glared at each other, and Squall felt his head throbbing and clutched it in instinct. Quistis was used to his reaction to anyone who reached out to offer him help, and she knew better than to try. Rinoa reached out to him and touched him on the shoulder. It surprised him, fazing him for a moment.

"Are you o—" Rinoa seemed to realize what she was doing and pulled away from him. She refused to look at him, and stared determined at their Instructor. Squall glared at her, but didn't say anything.

"I won't train with somebody who has no experience," Squall replied firmly. Quistis was the instructor, the person in the room with the authority, but Squall wasn't going to let her have her way this time. Quistis stared back at him, determination and seriousness in her expression.

"It isn't something that you have a choice over. The Headmaster wants you to train with Rinoa. Whatever reasons he has is his business, ask him if you insist, but it won't change the fact. Now go on, I have another class next period." Quistis replied, shooing them. Squall rolled his eyes and stepped out of the classroom. The second he was in the hallway, he walked over to the elevator. He was going to see the Headmaster, permission or not. He felt an arm grab him and he turned around, glaring at the person who did it. Rinoa... of course. Why wasn't he surprised?

"I don't want to train with you anymore than you do," she told him, as he snatched his arm back away from her. "But do you have to be so rude?" She asked finally. He didn't say anything; she didn't deserve an explanation from him. He got into the elevator and pushed the third floor button. Rinoa came in after him and crossed her arms, staring at him. _Whatever, _he thought. _Let her waste her time. But the Headmaster is not sticking her with me._

They finally reached the third floor, and Squall turned to Rinoa who had moved to follow him. He was about to tell her to stay there, or go away, but decided against it. She wasn't worth his words, he decided. Opening the door to the Headmaster's office, he saw Headmaster Cid look up in surprise.

"Squall, Rinoa, what are you two doing here?" he asked, genuinely surprised. _Like he couldn't tell that I'd object to this... _Squall thought angrily. Rinoa stepped forward while Squall was caught up in his thoughts.

"Headmaster Cid, sir, I think there's been a mix up. Instructor Trepe said that I was to train with Squall," Rinoa added. Squall glared at her — why had she even come?

"There has been no mix up, Miss Caraway." Headmaster Cid replied gently.

"...I prefer Heartilly," Rinoa replied finally, and Squall stared at her. What was her problem? It was just a name.

"Sir..." Squall replied suddenly. The Headmaster's head turned in his direction, and smiled.

"You have something to say, Mr. Leonhart?" the Headmaster asked.

"Why do I have to train with her?" Squall asked, suddenly growing angry again. He didn't like training with Seifer, because he was always such an ass, but at least Seifer was a challenge. This... girl... had little if any experience and couldn't defend herself. That, and the fact that she had never been to Garden before. What was he supposed to do, train _her?_

"I believe that you will be quite surprised at her abilities. It is... no secret that you are one of Balamb Garden's best pupils, Mr. Leonhart," the Headmaster replied. "I want you to help her fine tune her abilities, help her catch up to some of the other students. I realize it is a bit of an inconvenience, considering many finer details of both of your lives, but I would not ask you to do anything that I believed would be pointless, impossible, or if I didn't truly believe it would be good for both of you. Training with Seifer has ended in disaster quite a few times, and I believe that you are allowing anger to control a lot of your actions. You will need to be patient to help Miss... Heartilly, and I believe it will be good for you. I'm sorry if you disagree, but without a valid reason, there will be no further discussion about this matter." With that, he waved his hand to dismiss them, and Squall turned around and stormed out, angry. The Headmaster DID expect him to train Rinoa. And what was that junk about allowing anger to control his actions? He didn't let his emotions control anything. That was all Seifer, and if Squall had a gunblade coming at him full speed without chances of stopping, he was going to defend himself.

"Do you have to argue about anything? The most I ever see you talk is when you're fighting with someone!" Rinoa exclaimed once they were out of earshot of the Headmaster. Squall turned to her, angry.

"...excuse me?" he asked. Rinoa stared up at him defiantly.

"I know you heard me. You might not talk, but you aren't deaf. Why are you so negative about everything? You don't even know anything about me," Rinoa added, stepping into the elevator. She pressed the button for the first floor and crossed her arms.

"..I don't want to," Squall informed her. She opened her mouth to speak, he saw, but she must have given up because she didn't say anything the rest of the way down to the first floor. The door opened, and Squall stepped out of the elevator, walking down the stairs. He felt an arm grab him and he turned around and saw Rinoa, staring at the ground in front of him.

"Squall... we're stuck in this situation whether we like it or not. The quicker you help me, to whatever it is the Headmaster expects of me, the quicker we can get away from each other. Just... please don't make this more difficult than it already is," Rinoa replied finally. Squall stared back at her, but she walked away without saying anything else. He couldn't deny that what she said made sense— he didn't know that she was completely incapable of doing anything with fighting. It would mean he'd have to talk to her at least a little bit, but it was a small price to pay to just... get away from her. _She's annoying as hell, though, _Squall thought, suddenly amused. He shook the thought from his head and went to the training center. If anything would make him feel better, it would be fighting monsters and training before class.

—

_Squall looked around and saw a lighthouse, near the water. He felt as if this place was somehow familiar, as if he had been here before. But that was impossible — all he remembered was waking up one day at Balamb Garden, and he had trained there ever since. Whatever happened in his life before that, he didn't remember. It was as if it didn't even exist. He saw young children laughing down on the shoreline near a bonfire, and felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach. He _knew _those kids... he began walking towards them, desperate to know who they were, why they looked so familiar... but all of a sudden, he saw... Rinoa? She was smiling at him, the wind blowing her hair everywhere, and Squall was surprised at how beautiful he suddenly found her. But just as quickly as she had appeared smiling before him, the sky darkened. She fell to the ground, screaming. Squall ran towards her, without knowing why. This was insane, this was crazy... he didn't even like her as a friend, why should he care if she was in danger? But he kept running, needing to save her. He was almost there..._

Squall awoke with a start, sweat pouring down his forehead. Turning, he saw that it was only five in the morning. It was too early to go to class, but he knew he would never get back to sleep now. That dream had bothered him, and he didn't know why. Why was Rinoa in it at all? Who were those children that seemed so familiar to him? And why was it that he remembered this place he had never been to, so vividly? So many questions, and he knew that he didn't have any of the answers. Sighing, he got dressed and grabbed his gunblade. There was only one place in the school that would be open right now.

**A/N:** Well, there's the second chapter. I wasn't GOING to post these up, but I just had to, lol. I get like that when I work on a story... I just want to upload it. For those who have read my other FF VIII story, "Addicted", I have an update prepared and I'm just adding some final touches to it and it should be added this weekend, so no worries. Read and review!


	3. Training Begins

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter, sorry it took awhile. The idea for the weapons not hurting them while training against one another actually came from the Inheritance Trilogy (Eragon, Eldest) and I thought hmm that sounds like a good idea for training, so I threw it in, it's not my idea that I miraculously came up with on my own, lol. Thanks for reviewing for the last chapter, hopefully if you like it you'll review for this chapter, and here's the next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy VIII and all related characters belong to SquareSoft/SquareEnix, not me.

**Only Hope**

_EilayAdnayVolieay_

Chapter Three: Training Begins

_I couldn't sleep again, I had another bad dream. They always seem to be haunting me, no matter how hard I try to get past them. I feel these... powers, surging within me. It scares me, so bad. What's worse is nobody can ever know the truth. I think my father wants me to become a SeeD so I can learn of a way to rid myself of the sorceresses powers. Or to protect myself when they find out the truth. _

_Squall is so infuriating! He thinks he's better than me, just because he's been going to this Garden longer than I have. He doesn't know anything about me and he's so quick to judge! I have to train with him, someone who can't even stand talking to me! Well, I'm not going to rely on him. I can train on my own... the quicker I get the hang of it, the quicker I can get out of training with him. And if I prove myself in the meantime, that's just all the better. I know for a fact that the Training Center is the only thing open at this time of night. And that's exactly where I'm headed._

–**Rinoa**

—

Rinoa's eyes flew open, and she sat up in bed, breathing hard. Another nightmare about her powers consuming her completely. She had thought they were over, that those sessions with the psychologists as a child had helped her. Obviously, they had not. Coming to this school had triggered their return, and why not? She would have to use her magic eventually.

_I can't believe how Squall just ignored me and acted as if training with me was going to be the worst thing that had ever happened to him. I mean, I'm not exactly thrilled either, but does he always have to be so rude and negative about it? He thinks I'm completely incapable of fighting, of protecting myself. I'm a lot better than he realizes, and I'm going to get even better than that. Well... maybe. _With that thought in her head, Rinoa grabbed her pinwheel and got dressed before sneaking through the halls from her dorm to find the training center.

—

Rinoa walked through the halls, trying to find the training center. So far, she had had no luck, and almost run into staff members of the Garden numerous times. They freaked her out, with the strange uniforms they wore, and she had to hide or press up against the wall to hide from their view while they passed. Regardless of whether the training center was left open at night or not, students were still expected not to be out of the halls at night. She could pretend not to know that rule, since she was new, but she thought it best not to test her luck. Finally, she found the training center, and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

She saw several students leaking out from there, mostly couples, and frowned. Was that their idea of a date, going through the training center and defending each other from monsters, barely escaping from death, at four in the morning? Rinoa smiled to herself at the thought of how silly that sounded and continued through the training centers outer doors. Once she was inside, the monsters would start coming at her. It was only for the schools protection that the monsters were harder to get to, so that they couldn't sneak into the school late at night when most people were sleeping.

Taking a deep breath, Rinoa opened the door to the inner part of the training center, and looked around. She hadn't been here yet, and she was glad that they had at least recreated the monsters natural habitat inside the training center. To them, it couldn't be much different than living outside in the wilderness, except for the fact that Garden students were trying to kill them, and there was a restriction to the amount of space they had to roam. Still, she knew the monsters would try to kill her if given the chance, and she shook away any feelings she had of concern and sympathy for them.

Two bite bugs approached her, beginning to attack. Rinoa shot at them with her pinwheel and concentrated on fighting off the sleep spell they were trying to perform. She wasn't going to fall asleep, not in this would-be deathtrap! Jumping out of the way, slightly afraid but feeling exhilarated, she attacked them once more, shooting them with her pinwheel, and defeated them. Pleased with herself, she looked around and didn't see any other monsters coming at her. _Not that I'm complaining... _she added to herself.

A loud rumbling noise echoed through the training center, and Rinoa felt the ground beneath her shaking. _What WAS that? _She thought, moving forward quietly, pinwheel ready in case she needed to use it. She flinched as she heard a twig break beneath her foot — she had meant to be quieter, sneak up on whatever had made that noise. If it was any worthy monster, it would have heard her for sure. Rounding the corner, she saw a very large, dangerous, and scary looking monster with the appearance of a dinosaur.

"T-Rexaur," she breathed. She had heard that some of the Gardens had this monster, but she had clung desperately to the hope that Balamb Garden was not one of them. The T-Rexaur was a rare monster that was hard to find, and it was very unlikely to come across one because they were so sparse. But in a small training center, it was impossible to NOT run into it eventually. Rinoa tried to remember what she had read in her school book earlier that day in class. It was best to run from the T-Rexaur, because it was very difficult to fight. The best way to beat it, or successfully run away from it, is to cast... sleep. Of course.

Rinoa heard running from behind her, coming closer. She ignored it — T-Rexaur was an enormous foe, and she needed complete concentration to cast sleep on it. The footsteps were getting closer and closer, but soon she shut out all noises. Holding up her hand, she cast the sleep spell on the T-Rexaur. She could feel it trying to fight off the spell, but she held strong, not allowing the spell to be thrown off. She opened her eyes fiercely and backed up a step, lowering her hand. The T-Rexaur began to sway on the spot, and Rinoa turned around to run, running right into the arms of...

Squall. So it was Squall that had been running behind her, maybe even trying to protect her again because he thought she couldn't handle herself. She pushed away from him, saw the stunned look in his eyes at her successfully casting sleep on the T-Rexaur. Rinoa looked down at the ground and saw a shadow growing larger, and suddenly realized that the T-Rexaur was falling towards them.

"Move!" she shouted, running. Squall ran beside her, and they jumped out of the way in time before the T-Rexaur fell to the ground. Breathing heavy now, Rinoa leaned over and tried to catch her breath. She stood up straight and realized Squall was watching her. "What are you doing here?" she asked him suddenly. "It's early; were you following me?" she asked suddenly. Squall came the closest to laughing as she had ever seen him, but he was laughing at her, at the thought of her thinking he had followed her. He seemed to realize what he was doing, though, and caught himself.

"...training." he told her briefly, before walking away. She ran forward, not quite sure if she should bother.

"...so am I. If... we're both here anyway... you are supposed to train me... m-maybe we could get a head start. The quicker I meet their expectations, the quicker I get out of your hair, remember?" Rinoa added lightly. Squall was... not exactly much company, but she didn't know her way around the training center; she could get lost. She was still getting adjusted to her pinwheel, having changed weapons. She could use an extra hand in battling, and she didn't know why, but she wanted to try to talk to Squall. Despite how rude he had been in the past, and even how rude he was being now, she wanted to know what made him that way. When he wasn't completely making her red with anger, his presence was... in an awkward way... comforting.

Rinoa, realizing she had gotten lost in her thoughts, looked up and saw Squall staring at her, and she stared back defiantly. Finally, he sighed.

"...whatever." he replied. Rinoa stood there, confused, when he began to walk away. He turned around, glaring. "...I'm not going to wait for you," he warned, and Rinoa smiled, running up to him.

"...how long do you think the T-Rexaur will be knocked out of it?" Rinoa asked, trying to make some kind of conversation. A caterchipillar snuck up on them, and Squall easily defeated it with a swing of his gunblade. Rinoa felt suddenly very unimpressive compared to Squall's abilities, and sighed. It wasn't her fault she had never been allowed to train properly.

"...your spell was pretty strong," Squall replied finally. Every word he managed to get out looked as it was torturing him, and Rinoa smiled, taking pleasure in watching him try to string words together and form an actual sentence. She was sure he'd go back to ignoring her completely soon, not that he was very talkative now.

"Tha—" Rinoa began thanking him, but he cut her off.

"Long enough to get in some training before it wakes up." Squall told her, and started walking. Rinoa groaned and followed behind him. He couldn't even manage to give a compliment without ruining it. _He probably didn't even mean it as a compliment, he probably doesn't even care. Why do I have to train with him? Why not... God, Seifer would be better and everyone knows I can't stand him. _Rinoa realized Squall had gone on ahead and narrowed her eyes and let out a cry of frustration.

"Squall, wait up!" she called, running forward. Suddenly, she saw Squall running towards her, and she felt the ground shaking. _Oh no! I thought... my spell was powerful enough! _Rinoa thought, as she realized that it was the T-Rexaur running towards her. Squall stopped running and turned around, casting a spell on the T-Rexaur, but not Sleep. _What's he doing?_ Rinoa thought suddenly. "Squall! Cast sleep on him!" she shouted. He turned to her, and suddenly she realized it — he couldn't do that spell.

Rinoa stepped forward, and jumped out of the way as the T-Rexaur tried to attack her. Closing her eyes, she felt the power of the spell flowing through her, and she opened her eyes and yelled, "Sleep!" casting the spell on the T-Rexaur. It crashed down again, and Rinoa felt herself being shoved out of the way from its path. She realized it had been Squall, saving her. She smiled gratefully.

"T-thanks," she replied finally. Squall stood up without offering her help up, and narrowed his eyes at the monster.

"That's not right..." he replied quietly. Rinoa looked at him confused as she stood up next to him.

"What's not?" She asked.

"T-Rexaur... your spell was powerful... he shouldn't have woke up from that for at least another hour. Yet he did. You didn't... do anything, did you?" he asked, suddenly turning to her. Rinoa felt her cheeks flush. Did he really think she was that incapable that she would accidentally take a spell off of something?

"No!" she replied defensively. "I can control my magic, can you?" she asked suddenly. She immediately regretted saying that; Squall's glare was ice cold, his expression completely blank, but she knew he was angry. Something had happened with the T-Rexaur, Squall had barely been able to cast the fire spell, and he hadn't even tried sleep.

"...forget it," he replied finally, and he turned around and walked out. Rinoa sank to her knees and sighed. What had she done now?

—

Several hours later, Rinoa groaned when she heard her alarm clock going off. _Noo... _she thought tiredly. _It isn't fair; my three hours can't be up already! _But they were, and she sighed as she threw the covers off of herself and sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes and stretching as she let out an enormous yawn. Glancing at the clock, she turned off the alarm and glared at it, as if somehow it had sped up time as she slept and made her get up earlier than necessary.

Once she was sure that she didn't look completely hideous and what she was wearing was suitable, (even if she was only doing classwork and training, a girl had to look her best!) before heading to her first class.

—

By the time Rinoa got to her training class later that afternoon, she was already almost running late, and she felt strange as the students stared at her, entering the class. It took her awhile to remember that she would be Squall's training partner, and as this realization hit her hard, she groaned. A few minutes of training just a few hours earlier had been more than enough for her, and she wasn't looking forward to training with him. As the same stricken expression came across Squall's face, Rinoa had a small feeling of pleasure that he was just as discouraged with the arrangement as she was. Good. At least now she wouldn't have to fake her aggressiveness as they trained together.

"Class, I've been asked by the faculty and of course Headmaster Cid to stress _again _that training sessions are NOT to be treated like actual fights. You are NOT to actually harm your training partner; you are partners, training with each other so that you can work alongside one another later on in the field. You want to be SeeD's? That's great. But you're going to need to learn how to work _together _if you want to get anywhere in this field. You never know who you're going to be stuck with, or who you may be against, but you need to learn to deal with it. You can't pick who you work with, and those who try will find that they'll soon be considered disposable. You do the job, you do it right, and you don't take it on yourself to get it done — use the help of those working alongside you, it's not a one-man job. Because of some... minor difficulties some people have had in the past... there have been some partner switch-ups. Seifer, you'll now be working with Lyndon Sanders, and Squall will be with Rinoa Heartilly. Lyndon's partner recently dropped out of this course, so there are no needs for anymore mixing up the partners. I don't want to hear about _anyone _getting injured while training again for _any reason._ Seifer, Squall — stick to your own partners, and stay out of trouble, okay?" Quistis told them. Some people in the class snickered, but with a hard cold look from Squall that Rinoa noticed, they soon hushed to near dead silence.

As the class headed outside, Rinoa was confronted by a fellow classmate, who was pointing at Squall a few feet ahead of them and giggling.

"I can't believe Instructor Trepe stuck you with _him!"_ the girl whispered to Rinoa. The girl's name, Rinoa later learned, was Mika, and she loved gossiping about all the students at Balamb Garden. Rinoa followed the girls gaze and saw Squall already gaining ground and getting further away from them. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. _Jerk._

"Why?" Rinoa asked, feigning naivety, although she knew all too well why the girl couldn't believe that Quistis would stick a new student to the school with what had to be the most anti-social student at the school.

"Because Squall's a loner. I mean, he's a cute loner. Hot, even. But he doesn't talk to _anyone!_ And he takes everything so seriously... you'll probably get a new partner soon, he's so rough on his opponents. Seifer's the only one who can normally train against him and those two are always at each others necks, so it's not like the teachers are overly eager to stick them together. I mean, did you see that cut on Squall's face? I bet that will leave a scar," The girl added. Rinoa had noticed the cut; she had seen when Squall had gotten it, and she shivered as she remembered her first encounter with Squall.

"I've noticed..." Rinoa replied quietly. She saw that already Squall was standing, arms crossed, impatiently waiting. "I better go — bye!" Rinoa shouted, starting to run. The girl shrugged and went on to find her own training partner, and Rinoa was suddenly regretting getting up this morning. _I should have stayed in bed and said my alarm clock was broken. Squall was pretty upset with me when I mentioned his magic... _Rinoa thought, biting her bottom lip. She got to where Squall had been standing pretty quickly, and she pulled out her pinwheel, getting ready.

"Rinoa..." Squall started to speak, and Rinoa's head shot up in surprise. He was going to talk to her, on his own?

"Yeah?" Rinoa asked, waiting for him to continue. He shook his head and didn't say anything, and instead started to come at her with his gunblade. Rinoa jumped to avoid the attack and shot at him with her pinwheel, narrowly missing his shoulder. She smirked, but it was short lived her glory, for Squall hit her with his sword and cut part of her shirt. She got down to the ground, holding her shoulder, making sure he hadn't touched her skin, and then stood up.

"This is ridiculous," She said suddenly. Squall smirked.

"Yeah? And why's that?" He asked her. Rinoa held up her hand and started muttering words that she knew Squall couldn't understand, and he suddenly seemed suspicious, and backed up away from her. "This isn't magic training," he reminded her. Rinoa didn't say anything to that; she didn't say anything at all except what she was muttering under her breath. Suddenly, magic spurt out and went around their weapons, creating what appeared to be almost a shield. It was in fact something to prevent their weapons from hurting each other, should they 'slip' and actually hit one another when training. Squall didn't know that, though, and he looked at his gunblade, and then glared at Rinoa. "What did you do?" he asked her, suspicious.

"You want to attack me full on, make me train hard, fine, but we're not going to actually hurt each other. You heard the Instructor. All I did was make it so that if you hit me, it won't hurt. I can take the spell off when we're done," Rinoa added. Squall opened his mouth to speak, but ducked as she shot her pinwheel at him. She had aimed to miss, but he didn't know that. "...you can talk, but I'm going to train," She told him, smiling at the dirty look that had suddenly crossed over his face. He started running at her with his gunblade, and he saw Quistis coming up just as he did to watch them train, and the look on her face when she thought that he was going to attack Rinoa.

"Squall, no, this is —" Rinoa jumped out of the way of the attack again, silently congratulating herself on her avoidance skills (hey, you got something sharp and deadly coming at you, you're GOING to get out of the way!) and turned to Quistis.

"It's alright, Instructor!" She shouted, shooting her pinwheel at Squall, missing, and getting struck down to the ground by him. She glared up at him and jumped up, and when she had a chance to look around for Quistis, she was gone.

**A/N:** So there's the latest chapter and I'll try and have another one out soon for you. R&R!


	4. Can't Always Trust Your First Impression

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait for this chapter! I guess I got a little distracted. Thanks to anyone who reviewed, it's always nice to hear what you guys think and of course any thoughts or suggestions on how to improve are always welcome. R&R!

**Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy VIII belongs to SquareSoft/Enix, not me.

**Only Hope**

_EilayAdnayVolieay_

Chapter Four: Can't Always Trust Your First Impression

_Today in our training class with Instructor Trepe, that... Rinoa... actually surprised me. Even in the training center, she surprised me. She looks like she's weak and innocent, but she seems pretty capable of defending herself. Well, if you can get under her skin. Otherwise, she's pretty defenseless. I think she's afraid of fighting, of hurting someone. Even if it is me._

_I couldn't believe what she had said about my magic in the training center. How dare she? She doesn't know ANYTHING about me, she doesn't get to just judge me like that without even knowing me. I can control my magic just fine, it's just... for some reason I froze. I wasn't terrified; I've taken on the T-Rexaur, by _myself_, at times. So what was different this time? Either way, I can't deny, the girl can handle her magic well. _

_Despite her 'proving' herself to not be completely incapable, I hate being her training partner. I hate having to be around her, at all. And I swear, she's in every single one of my classes, I can't get away from her! Everywhere I turn, she's right there with some other student, it's like she's the student bodies sudden best friend. Everyone knows her. The few who don't, want to. And all she really is, is a spoiled, self centered— _

Squall stopped writing, when he realized how foolish he sounded. He didn't know that Rinoa was self-centered. She never acted like it, at least not yet that he had noticed. Nor had she acted spoiled. Not that he was watching her, or anything.

Sighing, Squall tore the page out of his 'journal' and threw it in the trash. He had been surprised today when he had went up against Rinoa — she wasn't near as challenging as Seifer, but she could handle herself fairly well. And she could definitely dodge blows.

Still, Squall had already decided he would continue doing whatever he could to have his partner changed, to ANYONE but her. He wasn't exactly sure why she bothered him so much, other than the fact that she had questioned his own magical training. When it came to his training, of any kind, that was a line people just didn't cross. He didn't let them. And yet she had already crossed that line. As if she was better than him and could pass judgement without ever witnessing his magic.

Taking one last glance at his journal, Squall turned off his desk lamp and decided to get on into bed. As much as he would love to sit here brooding all night, he needed to get a lot of sleep tonight because he had an early morning ahead of him.

—

Squall groaned as he heard the door to his classroom close — great. That meant that once again, he was late for magic history. This day had not started off well — for starters, he had started off training with Rinoa, who had spelled their weapons again to be sure that they didn't hurt each other, and of course Quistis had come over to praise her — well, so she hadn't said anything. That wasn't the point. Squall still believed that it was his most unfortunate luck to be stuck with Rinoa as his partner, and the fact that she was suddenly improving massively wasn't making him feel better. Sure, it meant that maybe they'd switch his partner — though he somehow still doubted it — once she had gotten better. But what if they thought it was because of him? Even if it was, he didn't want the Instructors to think that. If they got that idea in their head, they would automatically assume that he was doing something good to train her. And maybe assume he wouldn't mind training someone else.

Squall stopped outside of the class and knocked, but the teacher waved him on. Squall knew what that meant — the door had closed. If you weren't in the class before that door was closed, you were marked absent. And you didn't go to class that day. Squall groaned. He'd have to ask the teacher after the class was over as to what he had missed. Sometimes, the teacher would be in such a foul mood by the end of the day, they wouldn't even say. 'Ask the students, they have more time than I do to waste.' the teacher would say. But that was just it — Squall didn't like asking the students anything, not if he didn't have to.

_I might as well go to the library and finish up some homework, _Squall thought bitterly. _Maybe read my textbook, see what I might have missed this class. This is so stupid. Students are late sometimes — you can give them a detention slip... _Squall sighed and scratched the back of his head. The library should be empty, at least, so he'd have no distractions.

After about an hour of studying and writing in the library, Squall was bored. He had finished everything — he had even read over some brief sections of his textbooks, though it was boring as hell for him. So now what? He could go to the training center but realistically he knew that the class was over in thirty minutes. Though he knew that was more than enough time to actually get some training in, he also knew he'd have to go to his dorm. Get his gunblade. Go to the training center. Encounter other people — no, he preferred it at night when there was no chance of seeing anyone. At least, until lately.

"Squall?" Squall's head shot up as he heard a young feminine voice call his name from behind him. He turned around and saw Rinoa. He glared at her.

"What?" He asked her, not bothering to hide his annoyance that she was there at all. She handed him a piece of paper.

"Here — I have to get back to class, I was only supposed to be leaving to get a drink." Rinoa told him. She turned around and left without another word, and Squall looked down at the paper she had handed him. It had the page numbers of the textbook they had reviewed, some brief notes and comments from what the teacher had said during the lesson so far — Squall was annoyed, but still grateful. Rinoa had given him what he needed from class, and she had made it so he wouldn't have to ask anyone. That alone was something to be grateful for.

—

The alarm clock went off, but Squall didn't need it. He had been lying awake for awhile now, and knew that it was almost time to head to the training center for his usual late night session. He kicked the covers off of him and turned to get out of his bed. He swore loudly as he accidentally walked into his bedside table, and he quickly changed into his regular clothes and grabbed his gunblade.

The Garden staff looked at him oddly, as they always did when he walked past them. Not many students trained at night, and the secret area in the training center had been closed off temporarily by the staff, so even less were up wandering around.

"Training?" the Garden staff member asked him as he started to walk down the hallway to the training center. Squall gave a curt nod before continuing on his way down into the training center. He stretched his arms out a little, stifled a yawn, and opened the first door to the training center. No monsters were supposed to be in this area, and he walked up to the final door before entering the training centers core.

"...do you always train late at night or something?" A voice called from above. Squall looked around and then finally spotted Rinoa in one of the trees in the first room of the training center. He sighed.

"None of your business." He called back up to her.

"Fine, forget I said anything." Rinoa sat back down on the branch she was on, and continued writing in a notebook. Squall stood there for several moments, waiting for her to say something. She didn't.

"... do _you _always train at night?" He called up at her again, and instantly regretted it. She wasn't talking, he could have just went on his way, and... well, it didn't matter now.

"I'm not training right now. I'm actually doing homework for Magic History — which reminds me, it's an essay on sorceresses. Due next week — and he said he wouldn't mention it again in class, so you might want to write it down."

"...why are you doing homework in the training center?" Squall couldn't help but ask. Well, he was curious. It wasn't exactly most students first choice of a place to concentrate — you know, what with the monsters running around and attacking you all the time. It might prove to be just the slightest bit of a distraction.

"Technically, the training center is through that door. At least, the dangerous part of it. And I find it very peaceful here and the library isn't open at night. So, let's see, nineteen words you've said on your own to me, impressive." She was enjoying this, he could tell. Well, he wasn't going to let her anymore.

Squall walked towards the door of the training center, and it opened automatically as he neared it. He glanced one last time at Rinoa and saw she was watching him. It figured.

"Squall, look out!" Squall turned his gaze away from Rinoa and saw the T-Rexaur coming at him full speed. Squall flung his gunblade up in the air blocking the T-Rexaur's tail from smacking him, and he began muttering under his breath before shouting, 'Sleep!' The T-Rexaur fell to the ground, and Squall moved in to finish him off, but stopped. Unless he was in one of his training sessions with the rest of the class, he really didn't like attacking a monster when it was at it's weakest and couldn't defend itself. Sure, if Squall was in terrible danger, he wouldn't think twice. Self-defense. But this time... he decided to just keep moving. He was completely unaware of the fact that Rinoa had seen him spare the huge T-Rexaur.

—

"Squall, could you stay after class for a minute please?" Quistis asked him. Squall sighed and sat back in his seat. He saw Rinoa glance at him before she gathered up all of her books and walked out the door. The other students slowly followed behind her, and Squall stood up and walked towards his Instructor.

"You wanted to see me?" He asked dully. Quistis nodded.

"I see that you've been training quite well with our new student, Miss Heartilly." She commented. Squall shrugged.

"I — have to do as instructed." Squall told her. She laughed, and Squall crossed his arms.

"Yes, I suppose you do. And I'm glad you feel that way — it's been decided. Should you and Rinoa pass the prerequisite for the SeeD exam, you will both also be on the same team for the exam." Squall frowned, but said nothing. It wasn't really that much of a surprise — they got stuck together during everything else, so why not this?

"Squall, I realize you don't want to be training with her. The reasoning... it's beyond you, currently. She can take care of herself, but... anything can happen. She is a very important student, even she doesn't comprehend the extent of that. She'll be the healer, for your SeeD examination." Quistis added, changing the subject abruptly. Squall wanted to ask her what she meant, that Rinoa was a very important student.

"...There's... something I don't understand." Squall said slowly, looking up at Quistis. She smiled.

"What might that be?" She asked him quietly.

"...her name... it was Caraway, you called her that, and the Headmaster did. What's with wanting to be called Heartilly?" Squall asked. Quistis looked almost disappointed at his question.

"Do you remember anything about the city of Deling? That's where she's from, you know." Quistis added. Squall closed his eyes. Deling... the capital city of Galbadia? Galbadia... Caraway...

"Caraway... as in General Caraway? She's the daughter of the General of the Galbadian Army?" So that was why she was important. He was probably paying the Garden quite an amount to allow her to be enrolled there. But... he had still misjudged her. She wasn't completely hopeless and defenseless.

"As for why she wants to be known under Heartilly, I'd suggest you ask her that if you really want to know. But think about the trouble she'd face if more students realized who her father was. Any more questions?" She asked him, and Squall shook his head. That was all he wanted to know, for now.

When he walked out of the door of the classroom, he was surprised to see Rinoa standing out there waiting. He felt a little embarrassed that he had been asking about her, but... he ignored it the best he could.

"I..." Rinoa began, but stopped. She seemed to be having a lot of difficulty with whatever it was that she was trying to say. Squall stopped and leaned against the wall next to where she was standing, and waited for her to get out what she wanted to say. "I'm sorry."

"...for what exactly?" Squall asked her, staring back at her confused.

"That you're stuck with me. Instructor Trepe told me... yesterday, after class... about the SeeD exam, and the prerequisite at the Fire Cavern. That's what she wanted to talk to you about, right? And they keep making you go with me, for everything." Rinoa added. Squall shrugged.

"...it's... not a big deal." He told her after a moments hesitation. Okay, it was kind of a big deal to him — it annoyed him that he was stuck with another person, particularly the same one over and over again. But it wasn't as if it was her fault, or at least not entirely. "But the SeeD exam is in a week — we need to do the prerequisite at the Fire Cavern at least the day before the exam." Squall reminded her.

"So, we have six days to prepare, at the most. Guess I better start training more," Rinoa added quietly. She began to walk away, but Squall walked forward with her.

"Can I... ask you something?" He couldn't believe he was actually curious enough to ask this, couldn't believe he was actually going to. Rinoa stared back at him surprised, but nodded. "...why do you want to go under the name Heartilly?"

He almost immediately regretted asking the question the moment it was out of his mouth. Rinoa seemed shocked, she had probably hoped that nobody would ask her that. Squall began to tell her to forget about it, that she didn't need to tell him, but she shook her head and knelt down on the ground.

"My... mother's name was Julia Heartilly." Rinoa said briefly. Squall tried to think of where he'd heard that name before, of why it sounded so familiar to him — and then he remembered something he had overheard a man talking about with the Headmaster, back when he and Seifer were as close to being friends as they would ever be, and were spying on him.

'_I used to know this woman, Julia Heartilly — she was an amazing piano player, she was beautiful — anyway, I was pretty shy around her. This one night, she came over and talked to me — ME! — invited me back to her room.'_

'_...Do I really need to hear this?' _Squall remembered the Headmaster asking. The other man had laughed at his question.

'_It's nothing like that. We talked — or more, I talked. I got called away, had to meet at the Presidential Palace. Kiros, Ward, well, we all got called off to war, got into our own problems. When I... woke up in Winhill, I tried not to think of Julia. When Kiros finally found me, he said that... she had been married. Raine, at the time... had no idea about why that might have bothered me. I didn't tell her for quite awhile, I guess I didn't want her to think about it.'_

Julia Heartilly — how common of a name could it be? It must have been the same woman, so that meant the man that he had overheard the Headmaster's guest talking about her marrying, was Rinoa's father. Yet he thought he remembered hearing some of the teachers talk about her funeral as well. If his memory was correct... he had the vague thought of how he should say something, because even he could tell that Rinoa looked sad. Yet he said nothing — it wasn't his business, nor his concern, to comfort others. And in that moment of struggle with himself, he looked around, only to find that Rinoa Heartilly was gone.

**A/N**: Yeah, that's it for the chapter, lol. I'll try to update again soon, I have a few more temporary restrictions on my internet but I can still get on enough to update. Anyway, thanks again to those who reviewed the last chapter, hope you can review this one as well! And I hope you liked it. If not, well, I can't please everyone, but I can always try to improve. Thanks for reading.


	5. The Unwelcome Savior

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter so quickly, and thanks to those who helped me with the last chapter — I'm sure you know who you are. Anyways, I thought I would get started on this next chapter, since I was in a huge mood for writing. Hopefully, this chapter will be enjoyable for you all. Thanks again for reading and (hopefully) reviewing.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VIII and all of its related characters belong to SquareSoft/Enix, not me.

**Only Hope**

_EilayAdnayVolieay_

Chapter Five: The Unwelcome Savior

_I have so much on my mind. Squall actually asked me today about my mother, _after _asking why I preferred to go by Heartilly. It's crazy, that he'd say anything on his own to me, but especially being curious enough to ask about aspects of my life. I guess I'm looking into it too much, but... it keeps my mind off my mother. _

_She always hated fighting. I remember how against the Army she always was. Maybe that's why I was too, after she died. Yet she supported my father, no matter what she believed. Once, she had let it slip about a soldier she had cared for, long before meeting General Caraway. I guess real true first loves never do work out. I wonder if that soldier is still alive? Probably not. _

_Squall... at least he's dealing with the fact that we keep getting stuck together alright. The teachers keep telling me its because he's a top student, but... there are others. And I'm no less experienced than many of the students, paired with people of equal strength and abilities. And there are other top students. Why always Squall?_

_I wonder if he realizes I saw him spare the T-Rexaur... it was so strange, as if I was seeing how he really was. Caring, though he tried not to be. Compassionate, and fair. The T-Rexaur wasn't attacking, so neither was he. Not many students would have done the same — defeating something as difficult as the T-Rexaur earns you a lot of experience points that get added up in your classes. Of course, you always need some kind of proof... a dino bone, or an ochu tentacle..._

_I'm scared about going to the Fire Cavern. Why did my father send me to a fighting school, and why do I get the feeling it was his idea for me to go for a SeeD? If I fail... _

_Forget about that. It's late, and I want to go to the training center again. You run into less students that way — and not that I'm anti-social, but I want to focus on training, not socializing. I have a lot more to catch up on than most, and I need to rely on more than just my magic. _

— _Rinoa._

Rinoa closed her notebook and stared out the window. She had a view of the front gate, and she saw several students rushing in before the gates were locked and they missed curfew. Her clock was flashing, saying 10:57 — they didn't have much time.

Grabbing her pinwheel, Rinoa took a deep breath and ventured out into the halls. She saw some students getting back, yawning behind their hands and making their way to their own dorm rooms. She even saw Squall walking back, his face buried in a book he was reading.

"Good night, Squall," She said, loudly enough for him to hear. He looked up, seemingly surprised, but Rinoa kept walking. The Garden staff official at the end of the hallway warned her that all the facilities except the training center were closed.

"That's where I'm going," She told him with a brief smile. The man turned around, and muttered something about some 'damn secret meeting place' in the training center. Whatever that was, or where it was in the training center, Rinoa didn't know.

As she was just making her way past the parking lot hallway, she stopped walking. The lighting in the halls of the Garden, she had noticed, were always dimmed at night. Students weren't supposed to wander at night, but they did, and they needed some light. What had made her stop walking wasn't the lighting, but the voices.

"—damn it, you know exactly what I mean." She heard a dominant male voice curse. She knelt down by the bench, and stared up ahead. She saw the Headmaster, and frowned. What was he doing out of his office at this time of night?

"If you have a problem with the way Garden is being run, you should take it up with Garden Master Norg, not the Garden Faculty."

"Of course I have a problem with the way Garden is being run! He hides below the Garden, where no student or teacher ever sees him, and lets me take the fall for everything he decides we should do! Since when has Garden ever rejected a request for SeeD? And because of the pay, of all things! We're here to help people, not set the rich above the poor like everywhere else in the world tries to!"

"Garden Master Norg knows what is best for this Garden." The faculty member told him. He returned to his post beside the library hall.

"No, he just has all of the faculty brainwashed." Rinoa heard the Headmaster mutter as he walked away. She turned around and leaned her back against the bench, thinking about what she had just overheard. She had no idea who this Garden Master was, but the faculty seemed to think that he was the one in charge. So then why did he hide?

It didn't matter. None of what she had overheard made much sense, except to tell her that the Garden Master wanted to reject a request for SeeD because the client wasn't willing or able to pay more.

She stood up and brushed herself off before continuing on her way to the Training Center. The Garden Faculty member near the library watched her with an odd look, but said nothing to give away his earlier conversation with the Headmaster. Rinoa smiled faintly and nodded in acknowledgment, before making her way into the training center.

She passed a few students on their way out of the training center, and waved to a couple she knew. Finally, she was at the main entrance. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself, and reached to push the door open.

"What exactly are you doing?" Rinoa heard a voice ask from behind her. She jumped, startled, and turned around. She saw Squall standing there, watching her curiously.

"I came to train. I — weren't you just heading back to your dorm?" She asked him, crossing her arms. He looked away guiltily.

"I, uh..."

"Followed me?" Rinoa supplied. Squall shrugged.

"Whatever. I was just making sure you weren't doing something to get _me _in trouble, and you aren't, so I'm out of here." He turned to walk away, but stopped when Rinoa reached out and touched his shoulder. "Let — _go _— of me." Squall said, pulling away from her. Rinoa pulled her hand back.

"I — sorry. I just... wanted to..." Rinoa stared at the ground sadly. "Do you think I'm even remotely close to being ready to do the prerequisite at the Fire Cavern?" She asked quietly. She looked up and noticed that she seemed to have surprised Squall with her question. He didn't say anything for awhile, and she sighed. _That bad, huh? _

"The... the truth is, I admit to..." His face suddenly twisted, as if it was actually hurting him to say this. "—underestimating you. I was under the impression you were a spoiled brat." He admitted. Rinoa narrowed her eyes.

"Gee, thanks." She muttered. Squall ignored her comment.

"The point is — I'm not your friend. I never will be. But I can admit that I was wrong about you. Fair enough?" He asked finally. Rinoa smiled slightly and nodded. It wasn't exactly the best compliment she had received, but from Squall, it was practically the equivalent of someone else she had known for awhile saying they loved her.

"So, we have five days to prepare." Rinoa said finally. "Six days until the exam, since the days almost over. Five days maximum until we do the prerequisite. So... are you going to train with me?" She asked him casually. Squall stared at her for a moment, seeming to think over whether or not he should bother. Finally, he shook his head.

"Can't. I never brought my gunblade. I'd be pretty useless training without it." He added. He didn't need to voice the words that were missing — that he hadn't thought she was going to the training center, and had just followed her to make sure she wasn't going to do something stupid.

"Alright, I'll... you know, try to stay out of trouble." She told him jokingly. He didn't smile, but instead turned around and walked away. Rinoa sighed in defeat. Of course he wouldn't take the joke — he didn't seem like much of one to have a sense of humor.

She turned toward the training center doors once more, and pushed them open. She quickly stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She didn't want any of the monsters — no matter how large or how small — to sneak past her and into the area of the training center where there weren't supposed to be any monsters.

She saw a few students wandering, each of them watching the surrounding area as carefully as she was. Most of them were in groups, and she suddenly realized how stupid it was for her to have not insisted that Squall go to his room and grab his gunblade, and come back to train with her. Even if he wouldn't have been much company, he still would have been there, and he still would have been able to get help if she screwed up and got attacked.

Well, it was too late to worry about that now. She was already deep within the training center, and he was already long gone and would be unable to hear her if she called out. Besides, the staff would not likely take kindly to being awakened by her shouting.

It was strange how she had walked this far within the training center and had not come across any monsters. The students she had noticed earlier were gone — probably off to the secret area in the training center she had heard so much about in the gardens cafeteria.

_Five days... five days until I have to do the prerequisite. I don't even know what we do at the Fire Cavern. I've never asked Instructor Trepe, or Squall, and now I'm going to end up being unprepared. No, I'll ask them the first chance I get... I need to have an idea of what's expected of me. If only I could fight as strong as I can use magic... _Rinoa shook her head, clearing herself of her thoughts, and continued walking.

It wasn't until she got to the very center of the training center that she heard the sound of twigs breaking behind her. Her first thought should have been obvious — that there was finally a monster, waiting to attack her. And yet, instead of assuming it was a monster for her to battle, her first thought was, _I'm being followed._

As she stopped walking, the sound of the breaking twigs stopped as well. When she continued, she could very faintly hear the light sound of footsteps behind her. Footsteps... not a stalking monster.

Though she should have turned around to confront whoever was hiding from her, she couldn't help but feel fear swell up inside of her. There was no reason for anyone to be hiding from her, and following her. The only person who might have come for her would have been Squall, and only if he thought she was absolutely useless at defending herself. And if he had come back, he wouldn't have hid from her.

As she walked up a small hill in the training center, she saw a caterchipillar. She could avoid it, but she needed to get by, and if it noticed her, she'd have no choice but to fight it. She took a few steps forward, and the caterchipillar looked up at her and began sliding her way. She raised her pinwheel up, ready to attack it, when suddenly she saw the flash of a gunblade slashing away at it. She narrowed her eyes, ready to scold Squall.

Only, when she turned around, it wasn't Squall she saw. It was Seifer.

"I can handle myself _perfectly fine,_" She sat through gritted teeth. Seifer smirked at her, throwing his gunblade over his shoulder. Well, at least now Rinoa knew who had been following her.

"Really? Can you, Rinoa? You know, I was surprised to see you at Garden. You voiced your dislike for it so much the last time we, ah, spoke." Seifer walked towards her, and Rinoa raised her pinwheel. Though she wouldn't actually fire it at him, it sent across a clear message: Stay away. Seifer chuckled and held up his hands, almost as if surrendering.

"Look, I'm not here for talking." Rinoa said to him finally. Seifer stared back at her, seeming to be holding back more laughter.

"Really? And what are you here for, Rinoa? _Training?_ What happened to 'Garden is just another means for training merciless killers?'"

"People change. Fighting can be necessary at times, as long as it's used as the last resort. And besides, this is none of your business. There is no more relationship between you and I, in any shape or form. We are not dating, and we're certainly not friends. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get back to my training." Rinoa lowered her pinwheel and walked past Seifer, continuing on her way.

_Just leave me alone, Seifer. I'm through dealing with you. I don't want to do this anymore. _

**A/N**: Okay, for the record, I'm pretty sure there was a _specific _name for Seifer's gunblade, but I couldn't remember it and since Cid was saying he was looking forward to Squall and Seifer joining the team because they'd have gunblade specialists, obviously it's a form of gunblade. (Plus you can still pull the trigger with Seifer like you do with Squall, when you're in Dollet.)


	6. Confrontations

**A/N**: Well, here's the next chapter of Only Hope. I don't have much to say, except that I hope you enjoy the chapter and it's not a waste of time for you to read. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and hopefully you'll review this one as well. Next chapter will be the prerequisite — I had originally intended for this chapter to be, but it went in a different direction than I had intended and I thought I would save that for the next chapter. Also, in the next chapter they will be obtaining Ifrit as a GF. I have NO IDEA how to work that — whether I should divide up the GF's evenly amongst the party members, or if any of them can summon him... because you'd think there'd only be one, not multiple, right? And the GF's are supposed to inhabit a part of your brain... so, I'll be working on how to do _that _in the story. Maybe something with whoever has possession of the card... or whoever is most compatible with him... we'll see. Anyway, that's next chapter — so here's this one. R&R!

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VIII belongs to SquareSoft/Enix, not me.

**Only Hope**

_EilayAdnayVolieay_

Chapter Six: Confrontations

_The prerequisite is approaching much more quickly than I thought it would. The past few days seem like a dream — though not a dream I'm particularly fond of. For some reason, Seifer has been going more and more out of his way to try and get under my skin. I try not to let it get to me — I honestly don't care what his opinion of me is, or what remarks he has to throw at me. It's just difficult to resist the urge to start a fight with him, and I know I can't allow something like that to take place. It's not worth risking becoming a SeeD, just to satisfy my own... I don't even know what. _

_And Rinoa. Naturally, we're continually partnered together — it's not as though it surprises me, though I still wish that I would have some space. If I was sociable, and took pleasure in other peoples presence, maybe it wouldn't bother me so much. I just feel like I never have any time to myself, except when I'm finally back in my own room. At least she doesn't try to act like my friend like most would in her situation. _

_Tomorrow is our last day of training, and then we'll go to the Fire Cavern. I wonder what she knows about it? Probably nothing at all. Maybe I should tell her... though I don't see why I should have to, or why I should have to do any of this. I'm not even sure why it bothers me still — she trains on her own for the most part, and she's not helpless by any means. Maybe I'm just too determined to keep her as far away from me as possible, but that's the way it has to be. That's the way I am._

— _Squall_

A quiet knock on his door made him cut his entry short, and with a sigh Squall walked across the room and opened the door. He wasn't at all surprised to see Rinoa standing there with her pinwheel. Though she trained on her own well enough, she still came by every night when all the other sections of the Garden were closed off to see if he wanted to join her.

"Hey Squall." Rinoa greeted. Squall crossed his arms and stood there, waiting for her to ask her usual question. She frowned slightly and shook her head. "You could be a little more friendly, you know. You could probably have a lot of friends if you tried." She added. Squall rolled his eyes for her benefit, still refusing to speak. He didn't need to encourage her to speak with him — the past few days, her nerves had clearly been getting the best of her, and if he said so much as a "Hello" she wouldn't stop talking until he walked away.

"...I'll grab my gunblade." He told her after a few more moments of awkward silence. He turned back into his room and grabbed the case from under his bed. He heard someone moving and realized that, not for the first time, Rinoa had welcomed herself in to his room. _...whatever._

"You know, I didn't say I wanted you to come with me to train." Rinoa pointed out. Squall stopped fumbling with the latch on his gunblade case and stared at her.

"...if you don't want to train, why are you here?" He asked her tiredly. She smiled.

"See? You're much more interesting when you talk and show a little personality. Even if... you're not always very pleasant about it. And I actually just got back from training. I... wanted to go on my own tonight." She added quietly. Squall grabbed his gunblade case again and shoved it back under his bed. When he stood up, he waited for her to leave. Instead, she sat down on his floor and crossed her legs, putting her pinwheel down next to her. He pointedly glanced at the door, but she didn't seem to get the message.

Upon realizing she had no intention of leaving, he walked over to the door and closed it. At least no one would walk by and see her sitting on his floor. Though he didn't care what people thought, he'd still like to avoid their questions all the same.

"Why are you here, Rinoa?" Squall asked finally, sitting back down in the chair by his desk. He closed his journal and put it in one of his drawers, mentally reminding himself that he would have to remember to put it away next time he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I want to do the prerequisite tomorrow. I know that we don't have to do it until the next day, but..." She trailed off and stared down at her hands in her lap. Squall waited for her to continue, but she didn't.

"How much do you know about the prerequisite?" Squall asked her when she didn't speak again. She looked up, staring at him in confusion.

"...not much. Just that we're going to the fire cavern, with Instructor Trepe as our support."

"We'll be acquiring a guardian force. We have a time limit in which we have to do it, and anything we do can risk our chances of passing. Are you... really sure you want to do this early?" Squall asked her. Rinoa continued staring at the ground, her finger tracing the engravings on her pinwheel.

"...I'm not sure of anything. I've been terrified about the prerequisite. I just want to do it before I change my mind and do something drastic."

"Drastic like what?" Squall asked her, his curiosity getting the best of him. He had never thought for a moment that Rinoa was afraid about doing the prerequisite — it seemed so straightforward, after all the training they had endured. Yet he knew that she didn't have the lifetime of training he had — she had only been in Garden for a few short weeks, whereas he had been training here for as long as he could remember. And even he was a little worried — to a point.

"Running away." She admitted.

"If you want to do the prerequisite tomorrow, I have no objection. Just... be sure it's what you want, because once we head out there, there's no turning back." He got up and walked over to the door, opening it. Rinoa got the message and stood up to walk out. She stopped at the doorway and turned to face him.

"Squall?"

"...yeah?"

"Thanks for helping me. And talking to me. I know... it's not really your thing. So I appreciate it." She smiled faintly before turning around and walking out. Squall closed the door and leaned against it, folding his arms across his chest. He had no problem doing the prerequisite the next day — he was more than prepared, and had been for awhile. _Maybe I should go train in the training center for a bit — I don't feel like sitting around here, and it might get my mind off of all this._

—

Squall slashed his gunblade through the tentacle of the monster that had charged towards him, before putting his gunblade at his side again. He had been in the training center for several hours, battling monsters vigorously. He hadn't encountered any students that were doing late night training, of which he was glad. It was always awkward for him to meet them here — it was as if he was some exhibition at the zoo, and everyone wanted to stare at him. Particularly after he had been coming to the training center frequently with Rinoa, the stares and whispers had gotten more obvious and annoying. He didn't really care much about what they might think, but it made it awkward nonetheless.

"Where's your girlfriend?" Squall heard someone call out from behind him. He narrowed his eyes upon recognizing the voice — it was Seifer. Somehow, the realization didn't come as a surprise to him.

Instead of answering to him, which was what Seifer wanted, Squall continued walking, though he pulled his gunblade out once more and kept it ready for any surprises.

"You know, I didn't think you were the dating type, but from what I've noticed, you really seem to like her company. Why is that? Finally hit puberty?" This time Seifer had jumped down from the tree he had been calling from, and cut Squall off. Squall glared at him and turned around, beginning to walk away. Seifer shot his gunblade off near him, and Squall turned around, raising his gunblade.

"What do you want, Seifer?" He demanded. Seifer threw his gunblade over his shoulder and began laughing.

"I want an answer to my question, puberty boy!" Seifer pointed his gunblade at him, before laughing again.

"I can't answer your question, because I don't have a girlfriend." Squall retorted.

"Ahh, that's not what the rest of the Garden thinks. But I'll play along — where is dear Rinoa?"

"I don't know — I'm not her keeper." Squall turned to walk away, but stopped when Seifer called out again.

"Did she ever tell you that we used to date?"

The comment shouldn't have bothered him. He harbored no feelings towards Rinoa whatsoever, friendly or otherwise. Yet somehow, the thought of what Seifer had said, bothered Squall in ways he couldn't explain. Why would Rinoa have dated Seifer? Who could possibly bear his presence more than necessary?

"I'm not her friend either." Squall said coldly. He began walking away, when suddenly he felt something hit him in the back of the head, and before he knew it, he was out cold.

—

"So you found him in the training center? Well, that's typical." Squall tried to open his eyes at the sound of the persons voice, but found the lights to be too blinding. He immediately shut them again, groaning and turning over onto his side. Whoever was in the room with him seemed to have noticed this action, and sat down next to his bed. The lights dimmed and he found he could open his eyes.

It was Instructor Trepe who stared back at him sternly. Clearly she was disapproving at the fact that he had been in the training center without a partner — he was sure that fact hadn't escaped her knowledge. He sat up slowly and saw that Doctor Kadowaki was looking at a clipboard which likely held his report.

"What... happened?" He asked, lying back on the bed.

"You were found unconscious in the training center by Miss Heartilly. She told us she had gone to your room and, when realizing you weren't there, headed straight for the training center. It seems she wasn't wrong to think you would be there." Sighing, she stood up and crossed her arms, looking back at Doctor Kadowaki.

"How long have I..."

"Been here?" Instructor Trepe finished for him. He frowned slightly — he had always hated it when she finished his sentences for him. It was awkward, especially considering she was his instructor. "Just since last night — you'll have to wait until tomorrow to do the prerequisite." She added. Squall looked up at her.

"Can't I just—?"

"Absolutely _not_!" Doctor Kadowaki cut in. "You have a minor head injury as it is — I wouldn't even let you out tomorrow, if it weren't for the fact that I know you'd just escape the infirmary and go anyway. You need to stay here and _rest_, and let that head feel a little better." Squall narrowed his eyes minutely and looked away. The infirmary was the last place he wanted to be, especially after his last episode with Seifer that had landed him in here.

Instinctively his hand moved up to the wound on his face, moving his fingers along it as if he could feel it. He hadn't given it much thought for awhile now, instead choosing to ignore its presence. Yet it was still sore to touch, and he knew it would leave a permanent scar. The only consolation was that Seifer had received one nearly identical. _Seifer... was it him that put me in here this time? All I remember was we were talking... no, he was being a moron and I was walking away. And then... I woke up here. I'll get back at him next time. _

The Instructor cleared her throat loudly, and Squall looked up sheepishly, realizing he had been thinking and ignoring whatever it was she or Doctor Kadowaki had been saying.

"...sorry." He muttered. Instructor Trepe rolled her eyes and got up, standing in the doorway.

"I said that I have to go — Rinoa will be meeting me at the front gate to do her prerequisite soon, and it wouldn't be proper for an Instructor to be late. _Do _try and be careful next time, won't you? And don't go to the training center alone again. You wind up in here more times than not because of that."

"Wait — Rinoa's still doing the prerequisite? I thought we..." Squall trailed off and cringed slightly. He had shown a little too much interest in the topic than he cared to in front of people who would notice. Instructor Trepe raised her eyebrows, confirming the fact that Squall had dreaded.

"She's perfectly capable of going on her own, and because _you _went and got yourself landed in here, she can't go with you if she intends to go today." With that, she turned and walked out of the room, leaving the infirmary completely. Squall closed his eyes, and allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep. It was going to be another boring day in the infirmary.

**A/N**: Sorry it took so long to get this out, I got severely stuck on it at the one part in the beginning. I can not (SERIOUSLY!) wait for the part when Quistis gets fired as an Instructor in this story. It's so annoying to refer to her as Instructor Trepe all the time, but it would just seem weird to have it in Squall (or Rinoa's) point of view referring to her as Quistis, when they're still her students. So... I had to literally die a little inside whenever I wrote Instructor Trepe that was OUTSIDE of a quotation (like when Squall wasn't calling her that in his speech.) I probably referred to her as Quistis before, but oh well.


End file.
